Molly Russell's dad says PM rushing social media restrictions 'deplorable'

The father of a teenager who took her own life after viewing harmful content online has said he is "dismayed" by reports the government is to ban young people from using some social media platforms.

Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell, told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Keir Starmer had "rushed" an announcement and that he could "not think of a reason other than a political reason".

"If he's playing politics, what he's doing is gambling with young people's lives, and I find that deplorable."

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "We have undertaken a thorough consultation and will set out next steps in due course."

They added: "The prime minister has been clear that the status quo is not good enough and we need to do more to protect children.

"This is not about politics - it is about protecting children."

In recent weeks, government ministers have examined a variety of options for restrictions, including a blanket ban on under-16s accessing social media, as has been introduced in Australia.

Since Molly took her own life aged 14 in 2017, Russell has campaigned for better online protections for children - but has said "implementing sledgehammer techniques like bans" would only cause "more problems".

Sir Keir is preparing to announce a crackdown on children's access to social media within days.

Some media reports have suggested under-16s could banned from accessing "high-risk" social media platforms under the plans, while safer ones would be subjected to restrictions.

Speaking exclusively to BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Russell said he would be "dismayed" by such a decision.

He told the BBC ahead of the expected announcement: "In opposition, Keir Starmer promised to tighten up the online safety world by regulating better.

"Early last year, father to father, I met with him briefly and he was very concerned - and he promised me he would look into effective solutions to deal with this problem. He seemed concerned.

"But as we sit here on the verge of this announcement, it seems that he's not kept either of those promises."

He said the prime minister had "promised a group of bereaved parents" an announcement could be expected by the summer recess, which falls in mid-July.

Russell also shared new research indicating half of all girls saw high risk harmful content on social media in a week despite the Online Safety Act, according to new figures from his organisation.

A survey of from the Molly Rose Foundation suggested 47% of girls and a third of all teenagers aged 13-17 saw high-risk suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content in a week.